Records raise more questions about John Kerry’s Climate Office inner workings
- August 3, 2022
Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald
It’s all just the first batch of records obtained by Protect the Public’s Trust that suing Kerry in federal court in Washington, D.C., for access to Climate Office records. The Herald is also seeking Kerry’s staff listing and other records, but the paper has been told not to expect anything until October 2024.
“What is revealed by the documents the State Department provided to us is troubling from ethics and transparency perspectives,” said Michael Chamberlain, director of Protect the Public’s Trust.
“In one exchange staff members discuss a meeting to update John Kerry focusing on ‘all the elements we can’t put on paper.’ Could this refer to an attempt to dodge federal ethics or federal record-keeping laws?” he told the Herald in an email.
“In another instance,” he added, “a State employee apparently may have participated in meetings with activist groups discussing grassroots lobbying efforts. If true, this could indicate both anti-lobbying and appropriations violations.”